The AI House

Tony Kim

Head of Technology Investing, Blackrock

Tony Kim, Managing Director, is a member of the Fundamental Active Equity division of BlackRock's Active Equities Group. Mr. Kim is a portfolio manager and sector head for the technology vertical and runs the Global Technology funds.

Mr. Kim joined BlackRock in 2013. He has 22 years of experience in investments at companies including Artisan Partners, Credit Suisse Asset Management, Neuberger Berman, Merrill Lynch, SG Warburg, and Rockwell Intl.

Mr. Kim has an MBA from Columbia, and a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Leslie Shannon

Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting, Nokia

Leslie Shannon is the Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting for Nokia. A Silicon Valley-based futurist, she focuses on identifying connectivity-related tech disruptions and opportunities, including developments in robotics, drones, visual analytics, cloud gaming, generative AI, and especially augmented and virtual reality. Leslie is the author of Interconnected Realities, a look at the current and future development of the Metaverse, and, with Catherine D. Henry, Virtual Natives, an examination of how Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s use of digital technologies is revolutionizing how humans relate to both computers and each other.

Stephanie Buckner

COO, Altair

As chief operating officer, Stephanie Buckner is responsible for Altair's corporate development efforts and field operations, sales, and technical support globally. Previously she served as senior vice president of corporate development where she was responsible for building strategic partnerships across Altair’s entire ecosystem including software, hardware, cloud, the Altair Partner Alliance, and with customers.

Earlier in her career, Buckner held senior management roles at Altair including director of strategic alliances where she surpassed aggressive new partner enrollment goals and was responsible for scouting, selling, onboarding, and managing relationships with third-party B2B software providers. Additionally, during her time at Altair, she also was the co-founder and chief executive officer of WEYV, a multi-content platform built on Altair’s patented digital content licensing model.

Prior to joining Altair, Buckner held analyst roles at Cisco Systems and American Express.

Buckner earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from University of Michigan. 

Co-host - Cathy Hackl

Founder & CEO, Spatial Dynamics

Cathy Hackl is a globally recognized tech & gaming executive, futurist, and speaker focused on spatial computing, virtual worlds, augmented reality, AI, strategic foresight, and gaming platforms strategy. She’s one of the top tech voices on LinkedIn and is the CEO of Spatial Dynamics, a spatial computing and AI solutions company, including gaming. Hackl has worked at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Magic Leap, and HTC VIVE and has advised companies like Nike, Ralph Lauren, Walmart, Louis Vuitton, and Clinique on their emerging tech and gaming journeys. She's also built virtual experiences in Roblox (Walmartland) and Fortnite, has also produced virtual concerts (Electric Fest), and is an Apple Vision Pro developer. As a sought-after keynote speaker, she’s spoken at Harvard Business School, MIT, SXSW, Comic-Con, WEF Annual Meeting in Davos 2023, CES, MWC, Vogue’s Forces of Fashion, and more.

She’s one of Ad Age’s Leading Women of 2023, was featured on the cover of Forbes Latam’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2023 issue, and is on the Vogue Business 100 Innovators list. She’s the host of Adweek’s highly successful TechMagic podcast and is popularly known in tech circles as the Godmother of the Metaverse. Cathy has been a fixture in the world of immersive technology for almost a decade with many media appearances in CNBC’s Squawk Box, 60 Minutes, CNN, Good Morning America, GQ, Time, The Economist, Bloomberg, and is a guest editor for Vogue Singapore. In 2022, she became the first human to ring NASDAQ’s opening bell and open the financial markets both in physical and avatar form while doing so on live television.

Co-host - Andi Huels

Founding Head of GenAI Growth & Partnerships, Vody

Andrea Huels is an award-winning technology leader with over 20 years of experience in global leadership roles, dedicated to revolutionizing enterprise operations with AI. Her passion for evangelizing AI solutions spans industries such as Retail, Healthcare, and Manufacturing, where she inspires executives to embrace AI for smarter decision-making and improved customer experiences. With a deep understanding of Generative AI, Computer Vision, Edge AI, ML, and cloud platforms, Andi has built a reputation as a trusted advisor to CXOs, helping them realize the business value and ROI of AI through clear, engaging communication.

A thought leader and futurist, Andi has captivated audiences as a keynote speaker and panelist at global conferences. She has been recognized as one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Technology" and a "Top 50 Intelligent Automation Influencer." Prior to joining GenAI startup Vody, Andi held leadership roles at Lenovo, General Electric, ExxonMobil, and more. She holds a BS in Management from Indiana University and a Certificate in AI and Business Strategy from MIT. Andi resides in Atlanta with her four children and their English Mastiff, Penelope.

Co-host - Tiarne Hawkins

Partner & AI Industry Strategist, Invisible

With over 15 years of experience in Digital Transformation and 7 years in AI, Tiarne currently serves as a Partner and AI Strategy Leader for training AI models at Invisible Technologies. Previously, she held the position of Director of AI at Welocalize, where her focus included AI data services, Generative AI, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and AI strategy.

As a public speaker, media personality, and podcast host, Tiarne engages audiences on AI topics, recognized for convening global leaders, tech icons, celebrities, and innovators to discuss AI's impact on humanity and the planet. She drives AI dialogues across banking, tech, media, retail, and life sciences, advocating for customer-centric innovation and exploring AI's societal impacts through initiatives like the "You & AI" series

Co-host - Sandy Carter

COO & Author, AI First

Sandy Carter has had a distinguished career, holding leadership positions as Chief Operations Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Sales Officer, Channel Chief, and Chief Product Officer, working for two Fortune 100 companies – AWS and IBM. Her background is unique, as very few executives have experience working in such diverse C-level roles. At IBM, she was a pioneer in AI innovation, contributing to the development of the Watson ecosystem, including Cloud, AI, and IoT, and playing a pivotal role in introducing the industry's first business model for the AI ecosystem.

Sandy's passion for collaborating with partners and delivering value to customers was further demonstrated during her tenure as a top executive at AWS, where she worked closely with C-level customers and partners to address their Cloud, AI, and tech challenges. She credits her teams for their success, acknowledging that while she provides the direction and strategy, they drive the innovations and breakthroughs in AI and emerging technologies. She has also held Board of Director positions, currently serving on the Altair Board, and has been recognized with numerous awards, including AI Executive Champion of the Year, Business Transformational Leader of the Year, and CNN's Top 10 Women in Tech.

Alex Yeh

Founder & CEO, GMI Cloud

Alex Yeh is the CEO and Founder of GMI Cloud, a visionary leader in GPU-powered cloud solutions for AI and machine learning. With a deep understanding of cloud infrastructure and a passion for innovation, Alex has guided GMI Cloud from its inception to become a trusted partner for companies optimizing their AI workloads. His strategic insight and dedication to customer success have established GMI Cloud as a go-to solution for performance-driven, cost-effective AI infrastructure. Alex’s leadership continues to drive the company’s growth and influence in the evolving AI landscape.

Lindsey Mastis

AI News Anchor, ABC 7 News DC - WJLA

Lindsey Mastis is an award-winning AI & Tech News Anchor based in Washington, DC, with over 20 years of experience in broadcast and digital news. Known for her in-depth and engaging reporting on artificial intelligence, Lindsey's work spans a wide array of topics, including space, healthcare, education, defense, policy, ethics, and the impact of deepfakes. Her commitment to demystifying AI has led her to create memorable experiences for viewers, such as cloning her voice, talking to robots, and piloting a virtual fighter jet.

Ms. Mastis is a four-time EMMY Award winner and recipient of a regional Edward R. Murrow Award. She has also earned multiple EMMY nominations for her investigative series, “Artificial Intelligence” and “Call For Action,” where her reporting has led to impactful outcomes, such as recovering $50,000 for a fraud victim. During the pandemic, she created “The Coronavirus Alert Desk,” an unscripted, daily live-streaming program that connected millions to health experts, garnering over 23 million views. From Capitol Hill hearings to major national headlines, Lindsey demonstrates her dedication to impactful and human-centered storytelling

Moyi Dang

Co-Founder & CEO, Coinfeeds

Moyi Dang is the co-founder and CEO of Coinfeeds, a company using AI and data science in innovative ways in the cryptocurrency space, backed by renowned investors including Y Combinator, Coinbase Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, and Amplify Partners.

Bret Kinsella

GM & SVP, Fuel iX

Bret Kinsella is SVP and GM of Fuel iX. Mr. Kinsella is also the CEO and founder of Voicebot.ai, the leading source of research, data, analysis, and news related to the voice and AI industries. Bret was named Commentator of the Year by the Alexa Conference in 2019 and both Voice AI journalist of the Year and Commentator of the Year by Project Voice 2020 and 2021. He frequently keynotes at technology conferences in the U.S. and Europe.

Co-host - Marlinda Galapon

Principal Conversation Designer, Zendesk

Marlinda Galapon is a Principal Conversation Designer at Zendesk. Originally, she pursued a career path in nursing, but her curiosity and lifelong love of language, design and the workings of interpersonal relationships led her into the conversation design design field. Drawing on her experience at companies like Yahoo!, Adobe, and Salesforce, Marlinda puts fairness, rigor, and inclusion at the center of her design process, guiding teams toward developing scalable experiences that are efficient, welcoming, and helpful.

Noelle Russell

Chief AI Officer, AI Leadership Institute

Noelle Russell is a multi-award-winning technologist with an entrepreneurial spirit who specializes in helping companies with data, cloud, conversational AI, Generative AI, and LLMs. She has led teams at NPR, Microsoft, IBM, AWS and Amazon Alexa, and is a consistent champion for Data and AI literacy and is the founder of the "I ❤️ AI" Community teaching responsible AI for everyone.She is the founder of the AI Leadership Institute and empowers business owners to grow and scale with AI. In the last year, she is a 4-time Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) awardee for Artificial Intelligence and has been named a Top 50 Global Thought Leader in Generative AI and a Top 25 Global Thought Leader in Artificial Intelligence by Thinkers360.Sept 5 evening & 6.

Co-host - Mellini Monique

Vocal Coach & Principal, Vocal Culture Garden

Mellini Monique is a leading voice expert and performance coach who has dedicated her career to empowering innovators, thought-leaders, and creatives to share their unique voice and vision with the world. With over 30 years of experience in public speaking, theatre arts, professional coaching, and expressive therapies, Mellini has made a significant impact in the field of vocal health and personal growth.

Mellini serves each year as the Lead Performance Coach for SXSW Pitch, where she helped aspiring entrepreneurs and startups fine-tune their pitching skills and showcase their ideas to a global audience. She also worked with the United States Department of Energy, training emerging sustainable energy scientists in vocal communication skills. In addition to her work as a coach and speaker, Mellini is the founder of Vocal Culture Garden, a boutique voice design & strategy firm that gives voice to humans and AI.

Through her work at Vocal Culture Garden, Mellini has helped companies create space for more Diversity in Pitching™️, coached founders to move Beyond The Deck™️, developed corporate voice brand identities, crafted and curated educational and exploratory voice experiences and led private clients on a soulful voice discovery via her proprietary framework, Pathway To Phenomenal™️. With a PR and theater degree from Columbia College and a Master of Arts in Drama Therapy from New York University, Mellini is uniquely qualified to teach executives, high-achievers, entrepreneurs, and business owners how to architect and deliver their unique voice brands to create highly desired outcomes. 

Executive Producer - Pete Erickson

CEO, Modev

Pete is the founder and CEO of Modev and the creator of a diverse series of events including VOICE & AI, GovAI Summit, CodeForward, BrandsGPT, and GNRT.AI.

Hassan Sawaf

Founder & CEO, AIExplain

Hassan Sawaf has 30+ years of experience in employing cutting-edge AI technologies for mission-critical business operations.

He founded 2020 aiXplain, a company offering a marketplace and development platform to develop and utilize AI agents and solutions to accelerate innovation with AI in various industries.

Before that, he has founded several machine learning organizations in small and large tech companies that are today leaders in their respective market segments, teams he started and managed are in Facebook/Meta, AWS/Amazon, eBay, SAIC/Leidos, and AppTek.

Ray Wang

Founder & CEO, Constellation Research

R “Ray” Wang (pronounced WAHNG) is the Founder, Chairman and Principal Analyst of Silicon Valley based Constellation Research Inc., He co-hosts DisrupTV, a weekly enterprise tech and leadership webcast that averages 50,000 views per episode and authors a business strategy and technology blog that has received millions of page views per month.  Ray coined the term "Metaverse Economy" in 2020 and is a leading authority on AI an AI policy. Wang also serves as an advisor to the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdueand is on the board of various exponential startups.

Since 2003, Ray has delivered thousands of live and virtual keynotes around the world that are inspiring and legendary. Wang has spoken at almost every major tech conference. His ground-breaking best selling book on digital transformation, Disrupting Digital Business, was published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2015.  Ray's new best-selling book about Digital Giants and the future of business titled, Everybody Wants to Rule The World was released July 2021 by Harper Collins Leadership.

Wang is well quoted and frequently interviewed in media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Fox Business News, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, BBC, Bloomberg, Tech Crunch, ZDNet, Forbes, and Fortune.  He is one of the top technology analysts in the world